Puerto Rico ESI and RSI: ESI (Environmental Sensitivity Index Shoreline Types) / RSI (Reach Sensitivity Index River and Stream Types)

This data set comprises the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) and Reach Sensitivity Index (RSI) data for Puerto Rico. ESI data characterize estuarine environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. Most rivers and streams can be readily subdivided into clear-cut segments, or reaches (RSI), that have very distinct and uniform characteristics within that reach of the stream. The definition of reach type is usually based on whatever the intended use of the reach classification might be. In this project, stream reaches are defined as those segments where similar spill-response modes and potential ecological and/or socioeconomic impacts from the spill are to be anticipated. However defined, the boundary of the reach is usually marked by an abrupt change in the morphology of the stream, a change commonly, but not always, brought about by an alteration in the stream's gradient. This data set contains the ESI shoreline data and the RSI river and stream data.

The ESI and RSI data were collected, mapped, and digitized to provide environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources.

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Prepared by Research Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Hazardous Materials Response Division, Seattle, Washington, United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Coast Guard, Puerto Rico Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, and United States Department of the Interior.

Resource Description - ESI/RSI Atlas for Puerto Rico

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format, and will offer a replacement copy of the product when the product is determined unreadable by computer input peripherals, or when the physical medium is delivered in damaged condition.

Contact NOAA for distribution options (see Distribution_Information).;

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DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Besides the above warning, there are no use constraints on these data. Acknowledgment of the publishers and contributing sources listed in Data_Set_Credit (below) would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARC/INFO(r) (version 8.0.2) and ORACLE(r) RDBMS (version 8.0.5.0.0). The hardware configuration is Hewlett Packard workstations (models 715/50 and 712/80i with 4 X-terminals) with UNIX operating system (HP-UX Release A.10.20). The following files are included in the data set: benthic.e00, birds.e00, bio_lut.e00, biofile.e00, biores.e00, breed.e00, breed_dt.e00, esi.e00, fish.e00, fishl.e00, habitats.e00, hydro.e00, index.e00, invert.e00, invertl.e00, karst.e00, mgt.e00, m_mammal.e00, reptiles.e00, seasonal.e00, shelfbnd.e00, soc_dat.e00, soc_lut.e00, socecon.e00, sources.e00, species.e00, stations.e00, status.e00, t_mammal.e00, wetlands.e00.

The attribute accuracy is estimated to be "good" given the years of ESI experience, the data input methodology, the quality control review sessions, and the digital logical consistency checks.

The ESI data use USGS 1:20,000 and 1:30,000 topographic quadrangles as the basemap. It is estimated that the ESI shoreline classification has a minimum mapping unit of 50 feet.

The intertidal shoreline habitats of Puerto Rico were previously mapped during overflights and ground surveys conducted by the Puerto Rico Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), published in 1984. For this project, the original ESI maps were re-examined and fully updated using the sources and methods described below. As a first step, infrared vertical aerial photographs were examined at the offices of DRNA in San Juan. The initial aerial photograph classification was followed by overflight surveys of the entire study area, flying at elevations of 400-600 feet and slow air speed. Overflights were conducted using U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopters and fixed-wing Cessna 172s operated by the Puerto Rico Civil Air Patrol. During this work, an experienced coastal geologist delineated the intertidal shoreline habitats directly onto 1:20,000-scale USGS topographic maps (1:30,000 for Culebra and Vieques). Where appropriate, multiple habitats were described for each shoreline segment. Data from the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) for the coastal plain of Puerto Rico, published in draft form in 1989 (based on 1983 1:40,000 CIR photography), were also used as a supplementary data source, particularly for mangrove areas and tidal flats. In many cases, the depiction of mangroves were modified substantially from the original NWI data, based on the more recent aerial photography and overflights, as well as information provided by expert reviewers. As one progresses landward up the major rivers from the coast, the streams become so narrow and shallow that even small spills could potentially contaminate the whole system. Therefore, from that point upstream, it is not useful to classify the small individual components of the stream complex with regard to habitat sensitivity, as would be done for the shoreline segments of larger rivers mapped using the ESI scale. Rather, the sensitivity of the system as a whole should be considered. It has been suggested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 1994) and Hayes et al. (1997) that a watershed approach emphasizing stream reaches should be used to map the sensitivity of smaller rivers and streams. All of the rivers in Puerto Rico are small enough to be mapped using the reach concept, rather than the riverine ESI used by NOAA and others to map the Mississippi (Michel et al., 1994), Apalachicola, St. Johns (Fla.), and Columbia Rivers. Most rivers and streams can be readily subdivided into clear-cut segments, or reaches, that have very distinct and uniform characteristics within that reach of the stream. The definition of reach type is usually based on whatever the intended use of the reach classification might be. In this project, stream reaches are defined as those segments where similar spill-response modes and potential ecological and/or socioeconomic impacts from the spill are to be anticipated. However defined, the boundary of the reach is usually marked by an abrupt change in the morphology of the stream, a change commonly, but not always, brought about by an alteration in the stream's gradient. Sixteen major river systems were mapped using the Reach Sensitivity Index (RSI) for Puerto Rico (listed alphabetically): R\xEDo A\xF1asco, R\xEDo Camuy, R\xEDo Cibuco, R\xEDo Culebrinas, R\xEDo Espiritu Santo, R\xEDo Fajardo, R\xEDo Grande de Arecibo, R\xEDo Grande de Loiza, R\xEDo Grande de Manati, R\xEDo Guajataca, R\xEDo Guanajibo, R\xEDo Guyanilla, R\xEDo La Plata, R\xEDo Loco, R\xEDo Mameyes, and R\xEDo Yauco. Local project sponsors chose these river systems based on size, presumed spill risk, and potential environmental consequences. The river systems included numerous tributaries to each of the individual rivers listed above. The RSI classification was continued upstream as far as possible, stopping where reaches could not be observed in the air photos, flown over, or easily accessed by land. The first step in the mapping process for the Puerto Rico rivers was ground inspection in October 1998. During this preliminary examination, a ranking scale for the different reaches of the streams was devised. This scale was based partially on work previously carried out by NOAA/EPA for river systems in the piedmont and coastal plain of the southeastern U.S. (Hayes et al., 1997). However, the fact that the rivers in Puerto Rico are primarily montane streams, not piedmont or coastal plain rivers, necessitated some modification of the ranking system previously used in the southeastern U.S. Once the ranking scale was determined, infrared vertical aerial photographs of the watersheds of the rivers under study were inspected at the offices of the Puerto Rico DRNA in San Juan. The work on the aerial photographs was followed by aerial surveys of several of the rivers using USCG helicopters. Finally, a second field trip was conducted in December 1998 to ground-truth overflight observations and to examine stream reaches that could not be mapped from the air because of their small size, vegetative cover, or hazardous flying conditions. The RSI classification scale was also finalized at this time. Detailed ground observations were made at 70 field stations during the two field surveys. In addition to reach classification, some sites that would be acceptable collection points during a spill were noted and are recorded on the maps in the atlas. These sites have ready access for vehicular equipment, workable current velocities, and relatively low-sensitive banks and channel margin sediments. In many instances, these are places where the oil would be accumulated naturally by currents. Also, noted on the maps are some areas where leakage of water, and hence floating oil if present, from the main channel would occur during normal high flow conditions. For ease of use, the division or break between the ESI and RSI classifications is defined using a line segment and special icon. The sensitivity of stream and river reaches for Puerto Rico is based on the: 1) Degree of difficulty anticipated for the containment and recovery of the spilled oil from the water surface; 2) Degree of mixing of oil into the water column; 3) Potential for retention of the oil (e.g., by penetration of the oil into coarse-grained sediments on bars in the stream, or between large boulders; trapping of oil by vegetation on bars and banks); 4) Ease of cleanup; 5) Sensitivity and vulnerability of associated wetlands; 6) Human use; and 7) Sensitivity and vulnerability for native stream biota. All of these factors have been used to determine the relative sensitivity of the stream reaches in the development of the RSI. The strength of currents and the fall of the water dictates the degree of mixing of oil and its toxic aromatic fractions into the water column, and, hence, the potential for causing the mortality of fish, shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, and other stream biota. Therefore, in general, such kills are more likely to occur in streams with rapids and waterfalls than in smooth flowing, low-gradient coastal streams. The success of attempts to contain and recover oil from the water surface is impaired where: a) currents are too strong or follow complex paths within the channel; b) channel leakage and bifurcation allow oil to spread and/or escape; c) access is limited by steep banks or other factors; d) sediment is too coarse-grained to manipulate; and e) oil is mixed into the water column. The ease of cleanup of spilled oil and the potential for biological injury are also important factors in the RSI ranking. Cleanup is impaired by many of the factors that hinder containment and recovery of surface oil, as well as by penetration of the oil into stream sediments and heavy oiling of riparian vegetation.

The digitization of shoreline types, biological resources, and human-use resources is a complex and highly quality-controlled process. Existing digital shoreline data are integrated into a study-wide basemap. In order to facilitate digitizing, the entire study area is split into individual quadrangles using the INDEX data layer. The first layer of information digitized is the ESI shoreline classification. The ESI and RSI habitat ranking is compiled onto 1:20,000 and 1:30,000 USGS topographic quadrangles by a geomorphologist. The hardcopy maps are then digitized and checked using both on-screen and hardcopy reviews. The edited maps are updated and checked once again for completeness and topological and logical consistency. Any errors in the shoreline classification are updated prior to digitization of the biological and human-use layers. All layers use the shoreline as the geographic reference so that there are no slivers in the geographic coordinates. The hardcopy biological information is compiled onto 1:20,000 and 1:30,000 USGS topographic quadrangles by a biological expert using data from regional specialists in the form of maps, tables, charts, written descriptions of wildlife distributions, and personal interviews. Concurrently, digital data sources are imported, projected, checked for quality control, and integrated into the data structure. The hardcopy data are digitized, checked using both digital and on-screen procedures, integrated with existing data, plotted, and sent out for review by the regional specialists. The edited maps are updated, checked once again, and the final product plotted (at approximately 1:55,000 scale). A team of specialists reviews the entire series of maps, checks all data, and makes final edits. The data are then merged to form the study-wide layers. The data merging includes a final quality control check where labels, chains, and polygons are checked for attribute accuracy. To finalize the data checking process, each data layer is checked using a standardized form by two GIS personnel (a technician and the GIS manager), and each attribute database is checked using several programs that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies (such as dangles, unnecessary nodes, etc.), and ORACLE(r) to ARC/INFO(r) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, where the data are written to CD-ROM and the metadata are written. ESI data are processed into multiple formats to make them useful to a wider community of GIS/mapping users. Distribution formats include ARC export, MOSS and Shape files, and MARPLOT map folders. An ArcView ESI project and ESI_Viewer product are also included on the CDs for ease of use of the ESI data. The database files are distributed both in the NOAA standard relational database format (see NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 115) and in a simplified desktop flat file format. This metadata document includes information on both of these database formats. The section Spatial_Data_Organization_Information refers to the source files in ARC export format only.